Computer design tools useful for industrial design are most commonly “computer aided design” (CAD) based. Users of CAD programs often undergo training and have much experience in the use of CAD before their proficiency reaches a level high enough for complex design and engineering.
In the automotive industry, car body designers typically sketch their designs. Car body designers are creative artists who produce styling sketches and typically do not use CAD programs. From sketches and discussion with the car body designer, a CAD designer will rework the sketch onto the computer. Accordingly, the sketch is engineered into three-dimensional detail. There are often many instances of refinement discussed between the artist and CAD user. Oftentimes, for example, the designer's sketches are not in correct perspective and details may need to be added and changed, and therefore, the process to completion by a CAD user may become tedious and repetitive. The CAD tool requires construction of a shape, piece by piece. The overall shape may not emerge until a significant amount of work has been done.
It would be advantageous for a designer to have available a design tool that is simple to operate and can readily replace hand sketching, and whose resultant design is captured in a computer file. Therefore, the time consuming step of refinement between the artist and a CAD designer may be substantially eliminated.
In design, a designer most likely must keep the design within certain criteria and style parameters. Vehicle design process typically begins with vehicle criteria. Some of such criteria include vehicle dimensions, proportions, and points called “hard points” which in certain circumstances should not be changed. Hard points may be categorized according to vehicle architecture class, for example. A resulting set of dimensions for hard points is therefore developed and communicated to a designer. The designer may then design the vehicle exterior and interior with constraints given on the location of at least some of the vehicle hard points.
Criteria including hard points may include details of occupant positioning. An occupant is represented by an automotive-standard sized human figure, hereinafter called the “Oscar” or mannequin. Heel point, eye ellipse and the seating reference point (H-point) are all determined by the position and the pose of a standardized human representation.